So Cold
by DarkDetectiveMaat
Summary: songfic 1st chapter. Stabler and Benson put their badges and their lives on the line to catch a serial killer targeting Stabler's family. Possible EO


_Disclaimer: I do not own "SVU" or the song "So Cold" (Breaking Benjamin does the song) or any of their affiliates_

**A/N: **_Wow, first fic. I hope it's good, and if it's not please review and tell me how I can improve. Thanks!_

_Oh, and to avoid any confusion later on, Elliot and his wife are divorced, and she is remarried to an investment banker. I did this for reasons that will be clear in time (and no, not for the most obvious reason either). _

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Elliot clutched his gun in his right hand, the feel of it somewhat soothing. On any other day, the street that he and Olivia were walking down would just be a normal, if somewhat crowded, street. Today, however, it was different.

_Crowded streets are cleared away  
One by One_

There was something in the air, a sinister static which made the detective's skin crawl. He and his partner were on the lookout for a dangerous serial killer who targeted whole families, and left a family photo of his next targets on the bodies of his victims. His next target was a family that owned a small grocery store, the Santiago family. _God, I hope he didn't get to them first, _Elliot thought.

"I'm going across the street," Olivia said. "That's where the Santiago's are. You stay here and watch for our guy." _  
_

_Hollow heroes separate  
As they run_

Elliot nodded wordlessly. The faces of the last victims, frozen in eternal terror, still continued to haunt him. So far three families- two parents and four kids- had been ritualistically raped, tortured, and then stabbed repeatedly. Each killing happened a week apart. A lump formed in his throat when he thought about the youngest girl from the last family. She was still breathing when the police found her. Elliot tried to comfort her, telling her that everything would be okay. She held on to his hand until she died. 

You're so cold  
Keep your hand in mine

Criminology experts from around the country flew in after the third attack, trying to figure the killer out. None of the families seemed to have anything in common besides their size and the fact that whomever killed them knew who they were and had their pictures. It frustrated Elliot that these so-called experts spent so much time debating about the killer and were no closer to figuring him- or her- out.

_  
Wise men wonder while  
Strong men die_

_He has to have some kind of weakness, _Elliot thought. _There has to be something that we're missing, something that'll link him to the victims. _He hated how helpless they all were. _Come on, give us a goddamn sign. _

Show me how we end this alright  
Show me how defenseless you really are  
satisfy an empty inside  
That's alright, let's give this another try

"Elliot!" Olivia shouted. "Get over here now!"

He ran across the street, dread washing over him. _We can't be too late. Not again!_

The entire Santiago family lay in a corner of the bodega, blood pooling around them. Elliot heard sirens as ambulances and backup arrived. Then, it all faded away as he focused on the bloodstained photo lying on Mr. Santiago's back. "No," he whispered. "It can't be."

If you find your family, don't you cry  
In this land of make-believe, dead and dry

"Elliot? What's wrong?"

Elliot was back at the first crime scene, the little girl staring up at him. _"Why weren't you there to protect me?" she whimpers. _

"_I'm sorry," Elliot answers, then gasps as she turns into his youngest daughter, Elizabeth. "No! Lizzie!"_

Olivia gasped as Elliot fell forward and hit the ground, not moving and barely breathing. "Elliot! Wake up!"

You're so cold, but you feel alive  
Lay your hand on me one last time

**SVU Squad room**

"So the killer's next target is Elliot's kids and ex-wife?" Cragen exclaimed as Olivia debriefed him, Fin, and Munch of the situation.

"Yes, they are," she said sadly.

"Where is he?" asked Fin.

"Right here." Olivia's eyes widened when she saw the gash on her partner's forehead. "Sorry I'm late."

"Are you okay, Elliot?" she asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said casually.

_I hate it when you do this, _thought Olivia. _Why can't you just admit that you're upset, that you have feelings like any normal human being?_

_Show me how we end this alright  
Show me how defenseless you really are  
satisfy an empty inside  
That's alright, let's give this another try_

"Are you going to be alright with this?" Cragen asked.

"It's another case," Elliot said dismissively.

"But it's-"

"I know, Captain," he interrupted. "But I've been on this case since the beginning. Nothing's changed since then, and to take me off now would be pointless."

Cragen took a deep breath. "I know. But I can't have your emotions getting in the way."

"Just give me a chance," he practically pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Elliot, but I'm going to have to pull you off the case."

Elliot glared at him. "Fine," he spat, then stomped out of the squad room, slamming the door behind him.

"Captain, you can't pull him off this case," Olivia said.

"I just did," Cragen retorted.

"You have to let him-"

"No, Olivia. Anyways you're off the case, too. You've both got too much emotion invested in this. Fin, Munch, you're taking the lead on this."

Olivia joined her partner outside. "Shouldn't you be in there, looking for leads?" Elliot asked scornfully.

"He took me off the case, too."

"I wanna get this guy, Liv," he said. "And I'm going to, no matter what Cragen says."

She saw the reserve in his eyes, masking the pain, and knew what she had to do. "Don't you mean _we're _going to get this guy."

Elliot blinked. "You mean, you're going to help me?"

"What are partners for? I guess we're going to be on Cragen's shit list together," she said.

"He'll thank us when we bust this case open."_  
_

_Show me how we end this alright  
Show me how defenseless you really are  
satisfy an empty inside  
That's alright, let's give this another try  
_

Elliot took a deep breath as he drove himself and Olivia home. _What am I doing?_ He was used to breaking the rules, but never on this magnitude.

_  
It's alright_

"It's going to be fine," Olivia said gently. Elliot nodded. "I know."

_It's alright_

_The little girl's face, staring at him. "Help me," she whispers._

_It's alright_

_Hang in there, Elliot. I'm here for you. Partners 'til the end, right?_

_It's alright_

Donald Cragen scratched his head, wondering if he'd made the right decision pulling two of his best detectives off the case.

_It's alright_

_Usually Stabler and Benson get the lead on high- profile cases like this, _thought Fin. _I sure as hell hope we don't screw it up._

_It's alright_

_I guess this means we'll be working with the Feds, _Munch grumbled to himself. _Great. They'll just mess everything up, then take the credit for whatever we do get accomplished. _He secretly wished Olivia and Elliot were on the case instead.

_It's alright_

Kathy Dusk, formerly Stabler, came home from work and set her bag down on the kitchen table. She had no idea the danger that lay ahead for her family.

_It's alright_

The killer grinned maniacally as he thought about the day's events. _Right underneath the cops' noses. I did it right underneath those cops' noses. And they'll never figure anything out, either. They'll never know my reasons, how this is all a personal vendetta. Just like they never knew the pain that I went through. _"Even Elliot Stabler can't save you now," he whispered to the photograph he held in his hand. "Especially when I completely change the rules."

_It's alright..._

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**A/N: **_I might decide to put Stabler and Benson back on the case somehow because I don't know if I like it the way it is. Read and review, and if it really sucks, please tell me!_


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